Wreck of the barque Neva in Bass Strait

Background. The Neva was a British barque that made two voyages transporting convicts to Australia. By 1833, her trade route had shifted from London transport to London–New South Wales. She departed Cork, Ireland, in January 1835, carrying a significant number of female convicts and their families, along with crew members, under the command of Captain Benjamin Peck.

Geographic Context. King Island is located in Bass Strait, which separates Tasmania from the Australian mainland. The strait was formed by rising sea levels around 8,000 years ago. King Island sits in the western entrance to the strait, an area historically prone to shipwrecks due to difficult waters, though it provided a passage for ships heading to Sydney in the early 19th century.

Survival and Rescue. Following the wreck, fifteen survivors, including the captain and chief officer, encountered survivors from the earlier wreck of the vessel Tartar. They received provisions from John Scott, a local beachcomber who had Tasmanian Aboriginal wives and children. The island had previously been visited by hunters and castaways, with no permanent Aboriginal occupation indicated by archaeological remains.